Mail-box.



No. 805,759. PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. Z. D. TALLMAN. MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1905.

front elevation.

UNITED STATES ZACH D.- TALLMAN, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN.

. MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed March 31, 1905. Serial No. 252,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZACH D. TALLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adrian, in the county of Lenawee, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates -to new and useful improvements in mailboxes, more especially designed for rural free-delivery service; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fullyset forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a mail-box for the purpose set forth of simple and inexpensive construction wherein the arrangement is such as to exclude the elements from the box, to afford free access'to the interior thereof, and to render the box selfclosing upon the release of the cover.

The above object is attained by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mailbox embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the position of parts when the box is open. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of the box. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of one end of the box in Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in section, as on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detail in section, as on line 7 7 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates the body of the box, which is semicylindrical in form, made preferably of a single piece of sheet metal and having the vertical end pieces 2. The front edge of the body is rolled, as at 3, adding strength thereto. The cover 4 is also semicylindrical in shape and is adapted to fit over the box, having the straight end pieces 5. and the projecting lip 6 at the front, which serves as a shed to exclude water from the front of the box and also affords means for raising the cover when opening the box for the deposit or removal of mail.

The box is preferably mounted on a suitable post 7 by means of a bracket 8, which is bolted to said post and provided with the forwardly-extending parallel arms 9, be-

tween which the box is hung. The ends of,

the cover overlap the ends of the box, and the cover is hinged to the box by means of the pivot-bolts 10, which pass through the ends of the box and the ends of the cover and receive the nuts 1]., as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The ends of the cover are pivotally at tached to the arms 9 of the bracket by means of the pivot-bolts 12, which pass through said arms and through. the ends of the cover, receiving upon their inwardlyextending ends the binding-nuts 13. By this arrangement it will be seen that the pivot-bolts 12 become the fulcrum upon which the cover swings when it is opened and that the pivotal connection 10 between the cover and box causes the rear edge of the box to be carried in the arc of a circle as the cover swings upon the fulcrum 12. The forward edge of the box is supported by means of the links 14., the lower ends of which are pivoted, as at 15, to the ends of the box and the upper ends of which are pivoted, as at 16, to the forward ends of the arms 9 of the bracket. By this manner of hanging the box it is so supported that when the cover is raised the box is carried outwardly and upwardly, as shown by the position of parts in Fig; 3, thereby exposing the full opening of the box and carrying it forwardly, so as to facilitate access thereto. It will be noted that when the cover is raised and the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 the weight of the rear side of the box is supported upon the pivotal connection between the box and cover, which being forward of the point of fulcrum 12 of the cover will cause said cover to automatically close as soon as it is released, rendering the box self-closing, the

links 14 swinging to a vertical position as the cover closes. By connecting the forward edge of the box to the brackets 9 through the medium of the pivoted links 14 freedom of movement is afforded the body as it is swung upwardly through the opening of the cover,

and because of the fact that the distance between the pivotal centers 10 and 12 and 15 and 16 is the same the box is always carried in a horizontal position when swung in the arc of a circle concentric with the pivotal point 12.

To provide a suitable signal or target to indicate the presence of mail in the box, an arm 17 is employed, having a target-head 18.

This arm is pivotally and slidably mounted on the cover by means of a slot 19 therein, through which passes a rivet 20, that is secured to the end of the cover. By this arrangement the arm 17 is permitted to slide upon the rivet the length of the slot 19 and is also permitted to turn upon said rivet as on a pivotal center. In the lower end of the arm is a notch 21, adapted when the arm is raised, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to engage over the bolt 15 to maintain said arm in an erect position. I/Vhen the cover is raised, said notch is carried from engagement with said bolt, causing the arm to fall, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position it remains until it is raised by hand and the notch 21 reengaged over the bolt 15.

Secured to the back of the box is a looped spring-holder 22, in which letters for the carrier may be placed, thereby holding the letters separate from the papers and other parcels and facilitating the collection of the mail.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mail-box, the combination with the body of the box, of a cover fitting upon said body, the cover and body being pivoted together at their ends, bracket-arms embracing the ends of the box, the cover pivoted to said arms above the point of pivotal union between the cover and box, links pivoted to the outer ends of the bracket and to the ends of the body near the forward edge thereof.

2. In a mail-box, the combination with the body, the cover pivoted to the body at the ends, supporting bracket-arms standing adjacent the ends of the box and cover, and

means connecting the box and cover with said arms to cause the box to swing outwardly and upwardly in the arc of a circle, and maintain a horizontal position when the cover is opened.

3. In a mail-box, the combination with a semicylindrical body, a semicylindrical top fitting upon the body, and having ends that overlap the ends of the body of the box, pins passing through the ends of the box and cover to pivotally unite said parts, bracketarms standing adjacent the ends of the box and body, the ends of the cover pivoted to said arms eccentric to the pivotal union between the cover and box, and movable members connecting the ends of the box near its forward edge with the ends of said arms to allow the box to swing outwardly and upwardly and maintain a true horizontal position when the cover is opened.

4. In a mail-box, the combination with the box and cover pivoted together, supporting-armsstanding adjacent the ends of the box and cover, said cover being pivoted to said arms eccentric to the pivotal union between the cover and box, pivoted links connecting the forward ends of said arms with the ends of the body, a target-arm pivotally and slidably connected to the end of the cover near the front, said arm having an engaging notch in its lower end adapted to embrace the pivot-bolt that connects the link with the end of the body.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ZACH D. TALLMAN.

Witnesses:

JOHN M. VAUGHAN, O. L. PALMER. 

